Shining of the Blade
The great walls of rose high into the sky. The famous city walls has guards placed around them on the outermost gate, known plainly as the Outer Wall. A man walkforward, a strawhat was on his head, obscuring his face. The guards saw the man and crossed their large spears to block the man from walking any further. "Halt! State your business with Ba Sing Se," demanded one of the guards, a strong man with scars on his face, indicating the life of one who knew battle and combat. "Easy, my friend. I mean no harm," the traveller said. The man looked up and removed his hat. Black hair fell into his face, again hiding his eyes. The man, with a brush of his hand, pushed the hair out of the way. Finally, his eyes could be seen. Shining in the sun, the eyes were like pools of molten gold, giving the man an intimidating, yet warm appearance. The man shifted his gaze to the battle scarred man. "I wish to visit the city. I have an old colleague of mine I wish to... catch up with. My name is Taiyang." said the man of golden eyes. This was no lie per se a lie. He was indeed hunting for former members of the disbanded Huolong who escaped punishment, and rumors spread indicated some entered the great city of Ba Sing Se. Furthermore, it is believed they carried something of far greater value to Taiyang than merely capturing them for the or some personal vendetta. The guards looked at Taiyang, and then at each other. While the man was fit, he was by no means as large as the majority of the Ba Sing Se guards. Should he end up causing trouble, which they feel he could with his Fire Nation appearance and a lingering bias towards the home of the firebenders from the conquering of the city, the guards could easily recapture him. "Alright, Taiyang, we will allow you into the city. Cause no trouble or you will be removed, forcefully." the scarred guard said as he uncrossed his spear from the other guard's. With a stomp of his foot, he an opening into the wall. Taiyang bowed as he entered. "I shall bring you some tea when I exit the city. Thank you my friends." said Taiyang with a smile as he entered the city. Taiyang gazed over the proud, powerful city with a look of amazement. Asking around from various citizens, Taiyang began to make his way to the various carts. Producing a passport, one forged in an obviosuly illegal network, Taiyang sat as he moved towards the Upper Ring. His destination: the . ---- "You wanted to see me?" Wei Meng emerged from the shady halls of an ancient hideout carved in a combination of earth and crystal. Although full to the brim with eyes, arms and legs, his voice echoed in the spacious cave as if replying to his own question. Yet his words went unheard to those who were not meant to listen. The Jade Maiden swordsman remained unnerved when a mighty stone slab of earth suddenly slammed against the ground from above. In fact, there were few things that could surprise Wei Meng in the Honey Badger headquarters; except the sudden influx of firebenders, especially the five or four he saw standing next to the silhouette of his leader. "Ah yes, Duya." The leader spoke with a raspy voice that betrayed both his age and affiliation. It was the voice of one who traveled among the darkness for countless nights, who laughed over the evilness of the world and committed countless tragedies. Wei Meng knew this man all too well. He, who upon his first night in Ba Sing Se, convinced the newly arrived swordsman to join his establishment and thus embark on an never ending adventure of the underworld. It was not his desire of Master Huashan, who taught him of life and death, to join the Jianghu life. But Wei Meng knew that to surpass his master, he required the experience of the world that forged his master into a powerful sword. And the old man covered in darkness who sat before him served as the perfect bridge. But the swordsman felt something burn in his heart as he watched the firebenders, utterly disgusting in both personality and appearance, covered in expensive clothing and jewelry. "These are former members of the fire nation's Huolong, the police branch responsible for protecting the law of the land fervently. After a short demonstration and a gracious gift, they have more than proved themselves capable." The Honey Badger boss addressed his third highest subordinate. "They will now serve the Honey Badger's as my immediate guards. As one of my favored subordinates, I only find it obvious that you should become acquainted with them and show them both Ba Sing Se and our little establishment." "Gracious gift?" Wei Meng pondered, more so disturbed by the lack of his own payment when considering the duty requested of him. His eyes jumped from each firebender in his presence before resting on the leader once more. Silence had befallen on the men as the leader patiently waited for judgement. Whether or not he would truly accept the firebenders or the task was something none could accurately predict of the temperamental swordsman, whose personality and emotions resembled the ocean. The normal, calm visage usually seen was twisted into a disappointed snarl. "Why do you need these slabs of meat?" "Hey! Watch your tongue child, before I burn it out of your mouth." The tallest traitor roared. "You couldn't burn my tongue burn my tongue if you made me a cup of tea!" His words garnered infamy for lacking a hint of restraint or fear. Instead, they were filled to the brim with excitement, almost inviting the challenger to step forward and potentially lose their head. "A few firebenders won't make a difference at all. They'll only get in my way!" "There is the problem, Duya." The leader finally answered after minutes of silence. "You're impossible to read as your heart belongs to none. You have many faces, which I doubt you even know is the real one." Those words seemed to fall on Wei Meng who could only listen. "In this world, the world of Rivers and Lakes, even criminals practice fealty to one another. Whether to a leader or to one's own brothers and sisters, they pledge their spirit in both life and death. But you have yet to perform this sacred bond with anyone of the Honey Badgers. Believe me, I find you more useful and interesting than anyone in this establishment. But without your heart, without your bond, you are nothing more than a pair of beautifully crafted swords to an earthbender." Wei Meng let his words echo weakly throughout the massive cave before disappearing into a thick silence. As smoothly as night turns into day and day into night, a tense tranquility befell the occupants of the room. He wanted to argue, to oppose those painful words and deny their accuracy at the top of his lungs. "Heartless..." A word that plagued him recently; it was ironic considering his youth...for his heart had allowed the world to betray him ten times over. But he could only accept them as truth. "I pray for the day I have your heart. But until then, I must think of the Honey Badgers." The boss finished. "Please, forgive me. You're the only person I'm entrusting this task to. For although I am unable to read your heart, I know I can trust-" "You're right." Wei Meng started to smile. But in his smile was a certain acceptance, a miniature enlightenment that came with understanding oneself and accepting freedom. "I'm nothing more than a breeze of wind, attempting to find a place to rest. But there's no rest for the wicked. I'm resigning, the sudden luggage would mean a decrease in coin for myself." He started to walk towards the exit, turning away from his former boss; who appeared somewhat saddened at the lost. "Do you want us to stop him?!" The tallest firebender roared. Both he and his squadron seemed unfazed by the sudden turn of events, only thirsting for another victim to roast; especially one who had threatened to kill them minutes before. "No. You wouldn't stand a chance here. Allow him to leave. We'll cross paths again and if he insist, then you'll be able to satisfy your hunger." The boss spoke without remorse. The guards at the exit quickly opened the earthen slab and closed it after Wei Meng entered the following chamber. He could only smile as he embraced the darkness. "A breeze of wind that forgot what it was, rested beneath a mountain. Only to once more find freedom." Wei Meng entered his favorite shop, the Jasmine Dragon and sat at a distant table near a window. He watched the world pass by, almost an outsider, a spectator enjoying an elaborate play. But could he really enjoy it? Another act in a rather long story that he was too scared to end. New scenery. New people. New challenges. He could only take a sip of the infamous lotus tea and sigh. Whereas he once spoke of killing gods and discovering the Jade Maiden, who influenced his master decades before, the young swordsman could only sit and ponder where destiny would guide him. He once felt that he was a mountain in a windstorm, disobeying the rules of fate. But now, he started to even question his own position in the matter. ---- The cart stopped within the walls of the Upper Ring. Taiyang filed off with the rest of the visitors of the noble area. "Alright... the informative said to check the Jasmine Dragon for the gang member. I suppose, though, I can stop for the tea itself as well." Taiyang mumbled to himself as he walked to the area. After many turns and feeling as if he had gotten lost, his eyes caught something. A fairly sized green building rested on the top of a set of steps. It's brown roof seemed newly built despite years of being open. Round windows opened, allowing Taiyang to few the clientele sipping from cups. The giveaway was on the front of the building, two golden dragons danced around each other. This buidling was none other than the famed Jasmine Dragon founded by the great General . As Taiyang walked up the steps, a statue of Iroh sat in front of the building, honoring him. The legendary general, once viewed as a failure for abadoning the city after his son died, was now a hero within its walls for reclaiming the city with the help of an . Taiyang, above all other Fire Nation figures in history, revered the great general as an enlightened man and the greatest man the Fire NAtion has ever produced. Taiyang bowed to the statue, showing his respect. "I wish I could have met you, wise Iroh. Rest well." A small line was formed outside the building, but the service was excellent. The lined shortened faster than Taiyang expected. Finally, he was at the counter with his money prepared. "I would like a cup of lotus tea, with honey in it please." Taiyang orderred as he placed down his payment. The host smiled and nodded as he told workers in the back the new order. Mere moments passed until finally the cup was placed in front of Taiyang. Taiyang sat in the center of the building. He raised the cup to his mouth and sipped the tea. The flavor was wonderful, worthy of the recipes of the tea-loving Iroh. Despite this, the tea was not as warm as Taiyang expected. Carefully, Taiyang used his firebending to heat the tea up to a more suitable temperature. "Surely that is appropriate use of my abilities," the firebender joked to himself and he took another sip and sat the cup down. Taiyang looked around the building, attempting to find the man that was described to him by the informant. Not being able to see him, Taiyang went to grab his cup. However, as he did this, a man walked into the building. A black and green cloak, a medallian of some sort on his neck, and black hair hanging slightly below his jawline. Taiyang drank of his cup as he looked at the man: Wei Meng of the Honeybadger Gang. "The Huolong will not be able to hide for long if this is him." Taiyang said under his breath as he accepted a refill for a small charge. Heating the cup once again, Taiyang stood up from his seat and made his way over to the window seat where the man was sitting. "How is the tea you got? I've been curious about the tapioca, but I don't know how I feel about solids in my drinks," Taiyang said as he sat down in front of the gang member. Taking yet another sip of his tea, Taiyang noticed the swords of the man. "Lovely weapons, though swords were never my favorite weapon," Taiyang began "but that isn't why I came over to talk to you really." Taiyang placed his cup down. "Alright, honeybadger, where are they?" Category:Roleplays